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Astronaut recalls encounter with a UFO


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Nice story :D

Thanks, I liked it too, glad you enjoyed it, you should see how he ousted Peter Popoff! Despite all the people who do not like Randi, I believe he does a community service.

It's not that I don't believe this guy's story, as much as it is not having enough real solid proof. Usually having more than one credible witness is a good start. Multiple observers always lend credibility to any story such as this one. Given the amount of people who have claimed to see UFOs and had them turn out to be misidentifications are impossible to number.

I sure believe the Astronaut saw something, but I honestly doubt he refuses the official explanation. Astronauts do not keep these thing secret, one took a great anomalous photo from the ISS recently and asked what it was on Twitter.

He is not the one making a big deal out of this, as usual, it is UFOlogy trying to push a new angle to sell. If we look at the article:

The story has since gained significant interest among UFO believers who have argued over whether or not Chiao had witnessed something otherworldly. Skeptics have countered by suggesting that the lights could have been from a fishing boat on the ocean several hundred miles below.

UFO believers aka here UFOlogists, are well known to make things up. The Roswell Aliens are a prime example, they did not exist until Stanton Friedman made them up. That is what they are doing here, they have looked for any small instance they can shoehorn an ET claim into. Lets face it, otherwise they would be sitting on their hands. Reports are not what they were in the 60's.

The Astronaut says:

"I'm skeptical of claims," said Chiao on the subject of extraterrestrial visitation. "I don't rule it out 100 percent. I have an open mind and I do believe there's other life in the universe."

Which seems very benign to me, and does not support the UFOlogy assumption at all. ET Simply does not belong in this claim, it's just a zealous retelling of a known event.

Legit UFO sightings do happen and NASA people are great witnesses but without anything to back this story up, a story is all we really have.

UFO sightings do happen, but the only real connection between UFO's and ET is pop culture.

"Astronaut claims" are basically Gordon Cooper. And he did not see anything in space. Ed MItchell says things happened just like NASA said they did, and he does not claim to be under any oath binding him, but if he was, he could say that much. Jim Oberg here know Stony Musgrave personally, and has asked him direct. As far as I know, the only one making actual claims if Cooper, who had a falling out with NASA when they dumped him as mission commander for Apollo 13, the list was them moved to 14, and Shepherd got the honor. It sounds like we have a decent case of sour grapes her as well to be honest. Not taking away from Cooper amazing accomplishments and tough persona, but he would honestly not be the first disgruntled employee who made waves for his ex employer.

I would suggest that any such instance that you feel is legitimate ought to be brought forth for discussion for clarification. It's not only great getting the real story, but those tales of "the days" when we were crossing these frontiers is more than fascinating. We have Jim Oberg who has spoken to many of these peoples faces, it seems a golden opportunity for us to overlook the meandering tales spun in the media, and in some cases, like Stony Musgrave, we can even get to the horses mouth so to speak. What more could one ask? Great place this, because it has some really top notch people on here.

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So if one case is wrong, then all of the sightings made by astronauts must be as well ?

The sightings are entirely bogus, sightings that did happen are not quite as mysterious as UFOlogists would have you believe. I strongly suggest you offer any claim you feel is legitimate for clarification.

As for this particular case, the evidence is compelling that what he actually may have seen were boats, but what of Armstrong's accounts ? For me the question isn't if one case can be debunked or even 95% of them, it's the 5% I'm talking about.

Its bogus too, this link should cover it quite well for you - LINK The Apollo-11 UFO Incidents by James Oberg

But if not bothering with the Astronauts themselves but rather the tall tales UFOlogy spins for them, why not go whole hog? According to rumour Neil Armstrong also converted to be a Muslim after his space trip!! Or perhaps there is the UFO Buzz Aldrin speaks of on The Science Channel, which Buzz himself says is a lie, then there is the green eyed jealous claim that Armstrong was not fit enough to be an Astronaut, or the dodgy claim of a coke bottle on the Lunar film supporting the spurious ideal that we did not land on the moon, heck, someone even claimed that Niels neighbour won a bet with his wife for a sexual favour because Neil grew up to be an astronaut and walk on the moon. Take you pick, high profile personalities attract attention, and naturally, some fools make up stuff about them to steal their thunder, like the moron Bart Sibrel who asked Buzz to swear on the Bible that he went to the moon while he was out in public with his niece. We all applaud Buzz punching that pathetic cretin in the face. If you do not want to face facts, there are many stupid stories to fill your days with.

The 5% is not what you think it is. That is just a popular fallacy amongst UFOlogy i.e. = 5% must be true. I think it is higher than that, but the answer is surely not aliens. Not even nuts and bolts craft in a great many cases.

Edited by psyche101
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Who said the Govt. was good at lying ?

So what do you say about Paul Hellyer and Fyfe Symmngton?

Or can you suddenly believe Government people when they say what you want to hear?

UFOlogy sure likes to have it both ways.

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They are like Taffy ! Pull it long enough and something sweet might come of it ! :tu:

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Forever Cursed, it is time you were held to account for what you are posting. First up you posted a video 'Proof' that we didn't go to the Moon and then backpedaled furiously out of that, now you refer vaguely to Neil Armstrong's 'accounts'?

WHAT accounts? BE specific. I'm calling you out on this, for doing exactly what you claim others are doing.

If you don't post them, you know what you need to do, and it better be humble....

Edited by ChrLzs
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So what do you say about Paul Hellyer and Fyfe Symmngton?

Or can you suddenly believe Government people when they say what you want to hear?

UFOlogy sure likes to have it both ways.

Well, they ain't 'Murican so of course they be honest. It's only 'Murican politicians who lie.

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So if one case is wrong, then all of the sightings made by astronauts must be as well ? As for this particular case, the evidence is compelling that what he actually may have seen were boats, but what of Armstrong's accounts ? For me the question isn't if one case can be debunked or even 95% of them, it's the 5% I'm talking about.

I think that most rational and logical people would have to concede that the possibility of the existence of alien life is staggering. The number of planets and stars in the Universe would most surely support life elsewhere. And when you consider that 5% of sightings are labeled "unexplained", you are left with the very real conclusion that these could indeed be alien crafts. It is up to each individual to decide whether these astronauts' claims are credible enough to be believed. Edgar Mitchell has long been quoted as saying he believes a UFO cover-up has been going on, mind you he never actually claims to have seen anything specifically. Most here are probably well aware of Gordon Cooper and his claims to have actually seen a UFO land. The problem with the latter is that no one else could verify the sighting since Cooper was alone in seeing this. Do I believe Cooper? Yes, I do. I don't believe Cooper had anything to gain by lying and he seemed to legitimately want research into Ufology to either confirm or deny the existence of ETs. He wasn't your typical backwoods nut screaming that he'd seen a UFO. Anyone who has been in space has to be taken more seriously than your typical, run-of-the-mill witness simply because they know the difference between conventional aircraft and something exotic[iE truly unexplained UFOs]. And then there are guys like Robert Dean & Philip Corso who were actually inside the Army and made extraordinary claims about cover-ups with regard to the UFO topic. These guys truly wanted to share their experiences for people to know what is going on.

Ufology is a great field because if even the smallest amount of cases are legit, then this is the biggest event in human history. Further study is needed to help eliminate the bogus cases and verify the genuine cases by neutral observers who want to get to the truth. The problem is that more often than not, we are simply left with no evidence and stuck wondering whether to believe eyewitnesses who may or may not be reliable. It is truly up to each person whether they choose to believe the eyewitness account.

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Did I miss a memo? The last I checked there was no credible evidence of ET visitation.

Humm, it was laying there by that picture of water....

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.... Most here are probably well aware of Gordon Cooper and his claims to have actually seen a UFO land. The problem with the latter is that no one else could verify the sighting since Cooper was alone in seeing this. Do I believe Cooper? Yes, I do....

You have so badly distorted and misremembered even THIS famous incident that it's clear you will NEVER, under your current approach, understand what is going on. And you show no evidence of wanting to.

Cooper

never

claimed

HE

saw

the 'landing'.

Or -- can you show a link where he did? A link where some UFO nut SAYS he said he did is NOT adequate.

He says two guys who WORKED for him 'saw' the landing and TOLD him.

Problem 1 is, the two guys themselves NEVER said they saw any landing. They only saw a white blob drift by in the distance, is their precise, documented testimony, it's what they told top US ufologist McDonald for his testimony to Congress in 1968, as well as in a 1983 letter one of them wrote to me. Where he [Jack Gettys] ALSO says they were NOT working for Cooper then or ever.

How can you believe COOPER'S version when the men he himself says TOLD him what happened, have a DIFFERENT version? And claim they never told HIM anything?

And do you really care?

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You have so badly distorted and misremembered even THIS famous incident that it's clear you will NEVER, under your current approach, understand what is going on. And you show no evidence of wanting to.

Cooper

never

claimed

HE

saw

the 'landing'.

Or -- can you show a link where he did? A link where some UFO nut SAYS he said he did is NOT adequate.

He says two guys who WORKED for him 'saw' the landing and TOLD him.

Problem 1 is, the two guys themselves NEVER said they saw any landing. They only saw a white blob drift by in the distance, is their precise, documented testimony, it's what they told top US ufologist McDonald for his testimony to Congress in 1968, as well as in a 1983 letter one of them wrote to me. Where he [Jack Gettys] ALSO says they were NOT working for Cooper then or ever.

How can you believe COOPER'S version when the men he himself says TOLD him what happened, have a DIFFERENT version? And claim they never told HIM anything?

And do you really care?

[media=]

[/media]

As requested, the video interview of Gordon Cooper actually telling us he saw a UFO land on a dry lake bed. Obviously you aren't objective where the UFO topic is concerned, Mr. Oberg. This story has been shown millions of times on different shows relating to the UFO phenomena. This isn't the only interview in which Cooper said this, it had literally been told over and over. Just from what I can gather, you seem to take a self-righteous "I'm smarter than you" know-it-all approach. Which is exactly what is wrong with the Ufology field. You have semi-educated self righteous people like yourself who want to somehow make everyone who mentions UFOs seem like "UFO nuts"[your words] just because you are skeptical of those who make claims that clash with your particular mindset on this issue.

Just because you worked at NASA doesn't mean you are more qualified to give your thoughts on this subject more than anyone else. The fact is, if you have studied the history of the UFO phenomena objectively you see that Gordon Cooper is hardly the first astronaut who has made such claims. Many others have seen things and reported them, only to be ridiculed by skeptics like yourself which is why the field of Ufology never advances because people don't take reports by credible witnesses seriously. NASA people also make claims of such sightings and/or knowledge of an existing cover-up. Take John Schuessler for example. He claims to have been privy to inside NASA knowledge about alien life and a subsequent cover-up. Let me guess? Another "UFO nut"? Time to come up with a new excuse my friend because that age of denial and ridicule is over. Sooner or later even the most skeptical people have to take a step back, look at the numerous legit cases, all of the credible witnesses, and take notice that something major is going on in regards to the UFO/alien topic. Or could it be that you just don't "really care"[your words] to get to the truth of the UFO matter? Either way, it matters not to me. What one chooses to believe on this topic is entirely subjective and open to their own interpretation of truth.

Edited by mystery fan
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As requested, the video interview of Gordon Cooper actually telling us he saw a UFO land on a dry lake bed. Obviously you aren't objective where the UFO topic is concerned, Mr. Oberg. This story has been shown millions of times on different shows relating to the UFO phenomena. This isn't the only interview in which Cooper said this, it had literally been told over and over. Just from what I can gather, you seem to take a self-righteous "I'm smarter than you" know-it-all approach. Which is exactly what is wrong with the Ufology field. You have semi-educated self righteous people like yourself who want to somehow make everyone who mentions UFOs seem like "UFO nuts"[your words] just because you are skeptical of those who make claims that clash with your particular mindset on this issue.

Just because you worked at NASA doesn't mean you are more qualified to give your thoughts on this subject more than anyone else. The fact is, if you have studied the history of the UFO phenomena objectively you see that Gordon Cooper is hardly the first astronaut who has made such claims. Many others have seen things and reported them, only to be ridiculed by skeptics like yourself which is why the field of Ufology never advances because people don't take reports by credible witnesses seriously. NASA people also make claims of such sightings and/or knowledge of an existing cover-up. Take John Schuessler for example. He claims to have been privy to inside NASA knowledge about alien life and a subsequent cover-up. Let me guess? Another "UFO nut"? Time to come up with a new excuse my friend because that age of denial and ridicule is over. Sooner or later even the most skeptical people have to take a step back, look at the numerous legit cases, all of the credible witnesses, and take notice that something major is going on in regards to the UFO/alien topic. Or could it be that you just don't "really care"[your words] to get to the truth of the UFO matter? Either way, it matters not to me. What one chooses to believe on this topic is entirely subjective and open to their own interpretation of truth.

No, go back and watch that again. He says the film crew saw it and came to his office to tell him about it.

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And then there are guys like Robert Dean & Philip Corso who were actually inside the Army and made extraordinary claims about cover-ups with regard to the UFO topic. These guys truly wanted to share their experiences for people to know what is going on.

Corso and Dean are thoroughly discredited I wouldn't believe a word either have said,neither does ufologist Kevin Randle.

http://kevinrandle.blogspot.co.uk/2005/11/exopolitics.html

http://kevinrandle.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/philip-corso-and-day-after-roswell-again.html

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No, go back and watch that again. He says the film crew saw it and came to his office to tell him about it.

I didn't watch the entire thing, as I have seen numerous Cooper interviews where he stated this. So, yes you are correct his film crew came and told him about it. Still, Oberg wanted the link to the Cooper story so there it is. Whether one chooses to believe it or not is entirely their decision to judge. But the story before was Cooper's entirely where he states he saw multiple UFOs. Either way, it's the same difference because it is an astronaut making a claim of what he saw. Which was my point from the prior reply. It is fine that Oberg worked for NASA and all, but he wasn't out in actual space so therefore, his ridiculing of a respected astronaut is kind of a moot point don't ya think?

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Corso and Dean are thoroughly discredited I wouldn't believe a word either have said,neither does ufologist Kevin Randle.

http://kevinrandle.b...xopolitics.html

http://kevinrandle.b...well-again.html

I have yet to see one thing that would indicate that either Dean or Corso were "thoroughly discredited". What I have seen is more of the usual ufology debunking which usually settles nothing. It is more name-calling and mud slinging than discrediting.

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I didn't watch the entire thing, as I have seen numerous Cooper interviews where he stated this. So, yes you are correct his film crew came and told him about it. Still, Oberg wanted the link to the Cooper story so there it is. Whether one chooses to believe it or not is entirely their decision to judge. But the story before was Cooper's entirely where he states he saw multiple UFOs. Either way, it's the same difference because it is an astronaut making a claim of what he saw. Which was my point from the prior reply. It is fine that Oberg worked for NASA and all, but he wasn't out in actual space so therefore, his ridiculing of a respected astronaut is kind of a moot point don't ya think?

I respect Gordon Cooper for his contributions as a test pilot and astronaut but I have serious issues with the way he has stated things as fact with no real evidence. It's not like he would have had knowledge of every project going on inside the USAF or the intelligence community. Stating the aircraft he saw were extraterrestrial in origin was irresponsible and reckless.

Edited by sinewave
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Try an internet search on these stories:

http://www.nbcnews.c...9/#.UxYI8UCYbIU

And I agree the Gordon Cooper stories are fascinating. Shouldn't somebody check them out, or is that too much bother?

You should never muddy things things up with facts or probabilities.
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I respect Gordon Cooper for his contributions as a test pilot and astronaut but I have serious issues with the way he has stated things as fact with no real evidence. It's not like he would have had knowledge of every project going on inside the USAF or the intelligence community. Stating the aircraft he saw were extraterrestrial in origin was irresponsible and reckless.

Agreed. Cooper did tend to state things as fact without actual proof. But then again, Oberg and other such skeptics cannot disprove Cooper's claims either. And last time I checked, Cooper didn't ridicule anyone for simply recounting their story or sharing their views. While I don't take every story about UFOs seriously, I do tend to believe those who have actually been to space over those trolling to argue with believers on the 'net message forum. Sometimes "unidentified" means just that, unidentified. It doesn't mean alien in origin but until the sighting can be credibly explained away in Earthly conventional terms, that possibility cannot be necessarily ruled out either. My problem with Mr. Oberg is quite simply his arrogance in which he dismisses claims of others without the foresight of at least considering the possibility. As with all debunkers, when directly confronted with opposing viewpoints we'll just call names and ridicule like a grade schooler :D

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I didn't watch the entire thing, as I have seen numerous Cooper interviews where he stated this. So, yes you are correct his film crew came and told him about it. Still, Oberg wanted the link to the Cooper story so there it is. Whether one chooses to believe it or not is entirely their decision to judge. But the story before was Cooper's entirely where he states he saw multiple UFOs. Either way, it's the same difference because it is an astronaut making a claim of what he saw. Which was my point from the prior reply. It is fine that Oberg worked for NASA and all, but he wasn't out in actual space so therefore, his ridiculing of a respected astronaut is kind of a moot point don't ya think?

Are you looking for a 'pass' for your blatently counter-factual claims because your heart is pure?

Until you are able to admit, first to yourself and then only incidentally to others, that you were WRONG in your initial claim, you will never break free of the constrictions of your own over-easy gullibility and garble.

Did the cameramen -- Gettys and Bittick -- tell Cooper they had seen the craft land? Where is ANY evidence for that?

You have plenty of native intelligence and are clearly adept at language. Try harder to comprehend what other writings are really saying rather than what you are happy to think they say.

HOW should you determine what the cameramen saw? And how should you determine what, if any, relationship Cooper had with them?

You are correct that Cooper referred to an earlier personal sighting. HOW should a rational person go about seeking corroborative evidence related to that alleged event?

Cooper's single say-so might not be enough. After all, he also says [in his book] that he saved the space shuttle program from a fatal design flaw by relaying a telepathic warning from space aliens. He also says that he used a magic camera on Gemini-5 to take photographs of ground targets where you could read automobile license plates. Do you believe THOSE claims on his say-so alone?

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Agreed. Cooper did tend to state things as fact without actual proof. But then again, Oberg and other such skeptics cannot disprove Cooper's claims either. And last time I checked, Cooper didn't ridicule anyone for simply recounting their story or sharing their views. While I don't take every story about UFOs seriously, I do tend to believe those who have actually been to space over those trolling to argue with believers on the 'net message forum. Sometimes "unidentified" means just that, unidentified. It doesn't mean alien in origin but until the sighting can be credibly explained away in Earthly conventional terms, that possibility cannot be necessarily ruled out either. My problem with Mr. Oberg is quite simply his arrogance in which he dismisses claims of others without the foresight of at least considering the possibility. As with all debunkers, when directly confronted with opposing viewpoints we'll just call names and ridicule like a grade schooler

I think you're mad at the guy in the mirror, not at the real me. I have provided independently verifiable evidence for statements I've made regarding Cooper's stories.

He says he flew over 'Area-51' on his Gemini flight and took top secret images, but I can show the flight path of the spacecraft and it never came CLOSE to Area-51. Who can you believe? The one with the checkable evidence.

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He says the film crew saw it and came to his office to tell him about it.

And Jack Gettys, one of the cameramen, told me -- in writing -- that Cooper was nowhere around, he didn't even know he had been on base then, when later he was picked as an astronaut. Cooper's claim to have been 'in charge' of the men is contradicted by the men's own testimony, as well as that of cooper's boss [whom I interviewed] and the AF officer who wrote up the blue book report [who later was a friend of mine at NASA].

EVERYBODY involved, except Cooper, asserts Cooper had NO connection with the cameramen.

NOBODY but Cooper ever said ANYTHING about the object landing.

That's pretty clear proof to me, at least, that Cooper's story is unworthy of credence -- because it would require too many OTHER people to be liars.

Besides, if the object landed, where is ANY narrative of walking over to the lake bed spot and looking at marks on the ground? Didn't anybody THINK to do that? Didn't Cooper THINK to drive over there himself immediately to inspect 'landing marks'? Nope.

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Agreed. Cooper did tend to state things as fact without actual proof. But then again, Oberg and other such skeptics cannot disprove Cooper's claims either. And last time I checked, Cooper didn't ridicule anyone for simply recounting their story or sharing their views. While I don't take every story about UFOs seriously, I do tend to believe those who have actually been to space over those trolling to argue with believers on the 'net message forum. Sometimes "unidentified" means just that, unidentified. It doesn't mean alien in origin but until the sighting can be credibly explained away in Earthly conventional terms, that possibility cannot be necessarily ruled out either. My problem with Mr. Oberg is quite simply his arrogance in which he dismisses claims of others without the foresight of at least considering the possibility. As with all debunkers, when directly confronted with opposing viewpoints we'll just call names and ridicule like a grade schooler :D

It is not up to Jim Oberg or anyone else for that matter to disprove anything. The burden of proof lies squarely with the claimer.

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And Jack Gettys, one of the cameramen, told me -- in writing -- that Cooper was nowhere around, he didn't even know he had been on base then, when later he was picked as an astronaut. Cooper's claim to have been 'in charge' of the men is contradicted by the men's own testimony, as well as that of cooper's boss [whom I interviewed] and the AF officer who wrote up the blue book report [who later was a friend of mine at NASA].

EVERYBODY involved, except Cooper, asserts Cooper had NO connection with the cameramen.

NOBODY but Cooper ever said ANYTHING about the object landing.

That's pretty clear proof to me, at least, that Cooper's story is unworthy of credence -- because it would require too many OTHER people to be liars.

Besides, if the object landed, where is ANY narrative of walking over to the lake bed spot and looking at marks on the ground? Didn't anybody THINK to do that? Didn't Cooper THINK to drive over there himself immediately to inspect 'landing marks'? Nope.

Yes, there is just too much wrong with the story. It is hard for me to be critical of Cooper but I really have to be. The space program was a big deal to me as a kid - still is. All of those guys are heroes to me. I watched the Apollo 11 landing and the first moon walk on TV when they were first broadcast. One of my cousins was an Air Force officer at Cape Canaveral and was familiar with all of the astronauts. Later I wet to Purdue where the legacies of Armstrong, Grissom, and Cernan were always apparent. All that aside, I really think Cooper was delusional. I hate like hell to have to say that but there is no other answer.

Edited by sinewave
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The main reason Cooper fell from grace within the space community was in the 1980s he used his fame -- and the knee-jerk trust that people like those posting here still exhibit -- to promote a series of bogus aviation industry scam investments that wound up costing people millions of dollars. Millions of dollars lost because of blind trust in one hero's say-so. He was foolish, not criminal -- he lost his own money, too. It's not his bad judgment that is worthy of criticism, since he paid a fair penalty. It's the knee-jerk credulity of people for he used his NASA-blessed hero status to mislead. This story has been reported in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere but most space folks are just too embarrassed for Cooper to make an issue of it now that he's gone.

Cooper also left the astronaut program under a cloud, when he was not automatically given command of a moon landing mission -- he had to audition like everyone else as a backup crew commander [Apollo-10], and he failed to adequately impress his fellow astronauts who would have had to pick him to fly, and trust their lives to him. They chose NOT to do so -- and he quit in a huff.

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The main reason Cooper fell from grace within the space community was in the 1980s he used his fame -- and the knee-jerk trust that people like those posting here still exhibit -- to promote a series of bogus aviation industry scam investments that wound up costing people millions of dollars. Millions of dollars lost because of blind trust in one hero's say-so. He was foolish, not criminal -- he lost his own money, too. It's not his bad judgment that is worthy of criticism, since he paid a fair penalty. It's the knee-jerk credulity of people for he used his NASA-blessed hero status to mislead. This story has been reported in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere but most space folks are just too embarrassed for Cooper to make an issue of it now that he's gone.

Cooper also left the astronaut program under a cloud, when he was not automatically given command of a moon landing mission -- he had to audition like everyone else as a backup crew commander [Apollo-10], and he failed to adequately impress his fellow astronauts who would have had to pick him to fly, and trust their lives to him. They chose NOT to do so -- and he quit in a huff.

We never want to think of our heroes as people with flaws. This is a really good example. Thanks for the the background on Cooper's post NASA life.

Edited by sinewave
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Are you looking for a 'pass' for your blatently counter-factual claims because your heart is pure?

Until you are able to admit, first to yourself and then only incidentally to others, that you were WRONG in your initial claim, you will never break free of the constrictions of your own over-easy gullibility and garble.

Did the cameramen -- Gettys and Bittick -- tell Cooper they had seen the craft land? Where is ANY evidence for that?

You have plenty of native intelligence and are clearly adept at language. Try harder to comprehend what other writings are really saying rather than what you are happy to think they say.

HOW should you determine what the cameramen saw? And how should you determine what, if any, relationship Cooper had with them?

You are correct that Cooper referred to an earlier personal sighting. HOW should a rational person go about seeking corroborative evidence related to that alleged event?

Cooper's single say-so might not be enough. After all, he also says [in his book] that he saved the space shuttle program from a fatal design flaw by relaying a telepathic warning from space aliens. He also says that he used a magic camera on Gemini-5 to take photographs of ground targets where you could read automobile license plates. Do you believe THOSE claims on his say-so alone?

See, that is the problem. I have never claimed that Cooper has proof of anything. You seem to think this is a debate on facts when infact, it is subjective conjecture on whether you believe Gordon Cooper's story or not. This isn't a high school debate club meeting. An eyewitness account cannot be verified nor can it be denied so what you are left with is a story which you either believe or you don't. Let me play devil's advocate for a minute: have you ever been to space? Have you ever seen a UFO? Because if your answer to either question were yes, I might be able to take your criticisms of Cooper seriously. But at the same time, I would no more dismiss your claim if you say you had seen a UFO than I would have Gordon Cooper. Do I believe the telepathic warning aspect of Cooper's story? No. That's a bit far out there for even me to accept. But also I am not so narcissistic in my views that I automatically dismiss any claim of a UFO sighting just because I don't happen to agree with the viewpoint of those recounting their stories.

As for my initial claim being "WRONG", did you completely gloss over my earlier reply? I said I was mistaken in my claim that Cooper himself had saw the UFO landing and that it was his camera crew that had told him. Nice deflection though :D

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